Former WWE star Saraya has opened up about her battles with dealing with leaked sex tape videos, ahead of her in-ring return this weekend.
The Brit, who joined All Elite Wrestling earlier this year and is set to make her in-ring comeback after five years on Saturday (November 17), had been the victim of the leaks in 2017.
Formerly known as Paige in WWE, she has often talked about how she was left feeling suicidal and suffering with stress-induced anorexia as things got out of control.
READ MORE: Who is Saraya? Why WWE’s Paige changed her name, wrestling career and rockstar boyfriend
Saraya was subject of a horrific sex tape leak – featuring former WWE star Brad Maddox, and current talent Xavier Woods – failed WWE drugs tests and capped it all off with a career ending injury.
And this week, speaking to Chris Van Vliet, she said: “Nobody was supposed to see those, I was 19 (when they were filmed) and I just remember feeling so low at that point (when they leaked).
(Image: realpaigewwe/Instagram)
“I remember calling him (my dad) saying that I was so sorry, and that I was completely f***ing heartbroken.
“And he was like ‘I don’t care – look at Kim Kardashian – everyone does what you’ve done buy you’re just in the spotlight’.
“I called my brothers after that and apologised and they said the same thing – they didn’t care about it and just wanted to be there for me.”
Although her family were very supportive, people she met in public would be mean to her.
Saraya said: “I felt a lot of weight lift off my shoulders, but in real life people would say the meanest s**t.
“I remember one time sitting in a bar with my friends, and someone asked for a picture.
(Image: realpaigewwe/Instagram)
“I asked them if we could do it after I’d finished eating and he said ‘I only want it cause you’re a f***ing porn star’.”
The shocking incident saw Saraya run to a nearby toilet and start sobbing.
The leaks came at the same time the Norwich-native was out with a neck injury and had already failed a drugs test.
The latter she was open about during a recent in-ring promo with her opponent for Saturday’s match at AEW Full Gear, Britt Baker.
(Image: @RealPaigeWWE/Instagram)
She added: “People don’t realise that I was the victim in this – they thought I put the footage on the internet.
“I didn’t even have it, it wasn’t on my phone or in my iCloud, it was on my boyfriend’s (at the time) phone.
“I believe it was him, he can deny it all he wants.”
Saraya also talked about how she left WWE – despite the company helping her with her drugs and injury issues.
The 30-year-old admitted that she “loved” her time there and doesn’t “have a bad word to say about them”.
(Image: AEW)
However, she hinted that AEW gives her the freedom she would not have got in WWE.
She explained: “Tony Khan (AEW owner) made it so easy for me.
“(he said that I) can make the rules and do what I want to do . . . as long as I show up for work.
“I love that.
“Getting to be Saraya, and having control of my life, I haven’t had that feeling for a long time, work wise.”
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